Sunday, December 16, 2012

A Weekend in Zimapan

Zimapan Reservoir - remote& pristine

Our good friends, the Willy family (John, Monica, and their kids Nicole, Alexa, and little John), who we met soon after they moved to San Miguel from Veracruz, invited us to join them for a weekend getaway to the Zimapan reservoir, located about 2 hours east of San Miguel. Being from Veracruz, the great port city on the Gulf coast, John and Monica have been into boating for years, and John in particular had been dying to find some place here in the dry, high desert of the Bajio where he could use his beautiful ski boat. Not an easy task in this part of Mexico. So a few weeks before, John, his friend Alvaro from Queretero, and I all had to hop on BMW motorcycles and take a day-long trek to check out this Zimapan place. Tough work, but it had to be done (thanks Scott G. for loaning me your 1150GS - I miss that bike!). Needless to say, we were all impressed, none more than John, who needed only a week more to find a local to build a shed for his boat and get it stored just minutes from the boat landing...

So fast forward to a few weeks later, as our two families hopped in the cars early and headed east to Zimapan for two days on the water and an overnight in a mountain retreat!

First order of business: find the boat (pray that it's still there). Success. Then get that baby ready and in the water...

PRIORITY #1: Get the tunes hooked up.

PRIORITY #2: Gas. With siphon tube.

PRIORITY #3: All the proper accessories...

All pre-launch duties done and cross-checked, we were off to meet up with the wives and kids, whom had split off to head to the cabanas to change. It took about 25 minutes to get there, and this boat is not slow. Zimapan is a huge, sprawling reservoir that fills a former canyon to depths of over 500 feet and it is one of the most beautiful bodies of water I've been on, surrounded by stunning mountain-desert landscapes. And we saw almost no other soul the entire day. It still seems too good to be true!

Off to find the rest of the gang...

... for miles, and miles... and hardly another boat to be found...

Only 372.7 feet deep? Must be in the shallow part...

There had been a bit of whining in the MacDonald household the evening before and morning of this adventure, much about how boring it all sounded and how miserable it is to have to spend 2 hours in the car, etc. etc. Needless to say, that was all conveniently and quickly forgotten once the kids piled into the boat. This was a magical day, indeed...

Are we having fun yet? I think that's a "yes".(Left to right: Alya, Little John, Will, Nicole, & Alexa)

And outfitted with skis and a big pull-behind "sofa" as John called it, the kids couldn't get enough of the fun!

Nicole up on skis - her first time going that long!

I love the mixed look of excitement and fear....

And who can blame the kids for being a bit scared, when this guy is at the wheel of the boat:

The mad captain!!!

Nicole is clearly indicating: "SLOW DOWN, DAD!!!"

And of course, even the moms and dads got to partake in the action:

Monica making it look easy...

... and Janan, too...

... while I demonstrate the finer art of the "face plant" after losing a ski 50 yards back.

Time for a break. Off to one of a thousand little coves to park, have some snacks, take a dip, and relax...

The girls go exploring... (look at that scenery!!!)

The boys do the classic "whoa! whoa! whooooooaaa!!" thing...

Will demonstrates the fine art of the flip:

The girls start rocking the boat! Here comes a shark!!!

And the adults relax....

The captain enjoys a well-deserved quite moment...

What happened to all the moaning and whining? Isn't this boring??? "Be quiet, dad!" Yeah, I knew that was coming!

I think it's obvious from the photos above that we all had a blast! If you ever find yourself near Zimapan, you have to check this place out.

We'd had our fill of the water and it was getting late, so it was time to head to our accommodations for night. I can't remember the name of this place, but it was located a few miles off the water up in the hills, nestled on the ridge of the gorge on the other side of the dam, perched on a 500 foot cliff...

Our bungalows are off to right in the distance

Each bungalow had two clean, cozy bedrooms, a kitchen & small living room, and a clean and modern bath, all for $100. Added bonus: It's Mexico, so the only rule is "don't hurt yourself, and if you do, it's your own fault". Not many litigation attorneys running around, so the kids get to enjoy some extra liberties...